(The Center Square) – With the state’s unemployment rate already now at 5.3%, Republican state Sen. Craig Wilcox is warning that the number of people he feels are being hurt by policy decisions in Springfield only figures to multiply.
New U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows Illinois’ unemployment rate crept up to 5.3% in August, which ranks as the second highest in the country and the highest of all neighboring states.
“We need to address policies that create jobs, that encourage businesses and that understand there’s economic impact on every policy out there,” Wilcox told The Center Square. “Right now, the policies that are being pushed in Springfield and the policies that have been pushed in DC for the last four years, they’re not friendly to business. We need an administration in the General Assembly that’s legitimately business minded.”
During the month of August, data shows that 343,000 residents were left looking for work as the state’s growing jobless list easily topped the national average of 4.2%. Over the last year, the state has seen job growth of 36,300 positions, ranking 44th among all states for non-farm job growth at 0.59%, or nearly a full-point behind the national average growth of 1.51%.